Air and orbital traffic control in Barrayar
The Orbital Traffic Control Command (OTC-COM) is the aviation military authority of the Barrayaran Empire. It provides air traffic management services over entire Barrayaran, Komarran and Sergyaran orbital spaces with ground installations at all airports and spaceports and 141 other locations to ensure safety of Aircraft operations, having to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil and military aviation. The OTC-COM is funded by the Ministry of Posts and Communications and controlled by a Board of Auditors, in turn held accountable to the Council of Counts, through the Ministry of Posts and Communications. The Commander is Major General Jean Vortaine. The agency maintains air traffic control towers at every large airport and spaceport. OTC-COM has three planetary air traffic control centres based in Vorbarr Sultana, Barrayar, Solstice, Komarr, and Capital City, Sergyar, each leading a Flight Information Regions. These centres cover the whole of Empire of Barrayar except for the Terminal Control Units and towers at airports. Aerodrome controllers are the airport tower controllers, airport approach controllers, airport departure controllers and ground controllers. There are four airport and spaceport categories: * Civilian airports and spaceports (Category 1); * Military airports and spaceports opened to authorized civilian air or sub-orbital traffic (Category 2); * Military airports and spaceports exceptionally opened to special air or sub-orbital traffic (Category 3); * Military/Civilian airports and spaceports (mostly major spaceports) (Category 4). Safety of air and sub-orbital operators The safety of air and sub-orbital operations is guaranteed by a group of national and international rules and controls on the application of these rules. These rules are based on standards determined in special interstellar conventions: the responsibility for the control and verification of compliance with the safety standards of a vector is attributed to the authority of the country of the air or sub-orbital vector. The regulatory function is carried out through the implementation of the principles established by international conventions; the verification function takes place, then, through the control of the correct application of the relevant technical requirements and operational requirements. Surveillance on Empire vectors airworthiness and maintenance The command performs the direct supervision of the aircraft, the aim of this surveillance is the recognition and maintenance of an airworthy condition by releasing the Airworthiness Review Certificate, the document attesting the vector efficiency. Investigations are carried out by inspection of the aircraft on the ground and in the air and in the approval and verification of the effectiveness of maintenance programs. In particular, the maintenance program of public transport carriers is compulsorily re-evaluated on a quarterly basis or twice a year to verify its effectiveness. Foreign vectors operated by Imperial subjects In the case of foreign vectors leased to Imperial operators, the Command is delegated to supervision by the State of Registry; standards and requirements are similar to the requirements for vectors registered in the Empire, plus any additional conditions laid down in agreements with the foreign authority. In the case of carrier chartered with crew, the Command issued permissions of use only if there are in the country of origin conditions of safety equivalent to those required in the Empire. As regards maintenance, it must be done by certified companies. Surveillance over national operators In order to operate the carriers within their properties, operators should at least have the appropriate technical and operational certification and are monitored on the basis of programs that provide continuous checks on both the system than activities. In addition unscheduled inspections are carried out. Orbital Traffic Control Command The Orbital Traffic Control Command is divided into three layers: the Command Division, charged with directing the agency, the Operational Divisions, charged with the most delicate activities, and the Support Divisions, charged with aiding and sustaining the institutional activities. * Command Division: it is the direction and management body within the OTC-COM. Its main task is to assist the Commander of the OTC-COM. The Command Office is headed by a Brigadier General, currently by Brigadier General Ivan Desplains, and, in turn, consists of some administrative Offices: ** Personnel Office; ** Budget Office; ** Investment Planning and Contracts Office; * Airports and Spaceports Division (AIRSPAD): plans and develops projects involving both airports and spaceports, overseeing their construction and operations. Ensures compliance with issued regulations; ** Small Airports Directorate ** Airports Directorate ** Spaceports Directorate ** Airports and Spaceports Development Directorate ** Airports Security Directorate * Orbital and Sub-orbital Traffic Division (OSOTRAD): the primary task of the Division is to safely and efficiently move orbital and sub-orbital traffic within the airspace system. OSOTRAD employees manage air traffic facilities including control towers and terminal radar facilities; ** Airspace Regulation Directorate; ** Sub-orbital Traffic Development Directorate. * Aviation Safety Regulation and Certificates Division (AVISARCED): it is responsible for aeronautical certification of personnel and aircraft, including pilots, airlines, and mechanics. Within the Division, there are two main Directorates: ** Adjustment Aeronautical Product Certification Directorate; ** Airworthiness Regulation Directorate; * Aviation Flights Safety Division (AVIFLISAD): it is the aircraft accident investigation body. Orbital and Sub-orbital Traffic Division The Division (OSOTRAD) provides constant low orbital, suborbital and air traffic control and other services to assist navigation through all phases of the flight of a vector. The cruise phases of are overseen by the Air Traffic Controllers, operating in the Area Control Centres. From the Control Towers, controllers manage take-off, landings and, in most cases, even the approaches to the ports for a radius of 30 miles. Air Traffic Controllers manages the air navigation services in the airports and spaceports. Besides the air traffic control, which provides the separation between their aircraft and other obstacles, air traffic controllers provides many other services essential for the safety of air navigation. Aviation Flights Safety Division The Division (AVIFLISAD) is the authority of civil aviation safety investigation of the Barrayaran Empire. As such it is a public authority, characterized by relative autonomy. The Division is entitled to certain tasks of great importance. It has to carry out, for prevention purposes, "technical investigations" related to accidents and incidents to the drawbacks civilian vectors, issuing, if necessary, the appropriate safety recommendations. The purpose of the investigations is to identify the causes of events, in order to avoid them. The Division also carries out studies and investigations to ensure the improvement of flight safety. Since it is an investigating authority, the Division is not in charge of tasks of regulation, control and management of civil aviation. Landing sites classification Planetary surfaces and orbital facilities may have landing sites, which are classified according the rating issued by the Official Classification Registry, which follows Nexus conventions: * A (Excellent): Excellent quality installation. Refined fuel available. Annual maintenance overhaul available. Shipyard capable of constructing starships and non-starships present. Naval base and/or scout base are present. * B (Good): Good quality installation. Refined fuel available. Annual maintenance overhaul available. Shipyard capable of constructing non-starships present. Naval base and/or scout base are usually present. * C (Routine): Routine quality installation. Only unrefined fuel available. Reasonable repair facilities present. Scout base may be present. * D (Poor): Poor quality installation. Only unrefined fuel available. No repair or shipyard facilities present. Scout base may be present. * E (Frontier): Frontier installation. Essentially a marked spot of bedrock with no fuel, facilities, or bases present. * X (No starport): No starport. No provision is made for any ship landings. All Komarran registered landing sites are of A (Excellent) or B (Good) rating, while a minor but significant part of Sergyaran landing sites are D (Poor) rating. Spaceport and airport security State administrations mainly responsible for air traffic and suborbital security are; Imperial Security, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Post and Communications. The task entrusted to the Orbital Traffic Control Command is to define and coordinate security measures for air and suborbital transport, drawing up the safety program, constantly monitoring the status of application and structure and includes all updates. Another important aspect of safety is the coordination with other organizations and administrations. At the spaceports, customs and security agents have lists of known wanted people, lists of people who've been through before and if they're likely to cause trouble, and other than that do not care about. The facility security measures are stronger in entrance (both in the facility and in vehicles) than in the exit: guards only watch to make sure nobody sneaks back in to the cleared area without going through security again. Customs strictness is inbound to planets, not outbound to ships. Strategic facilities security Both Civilian only (Category 1) and Military/Civilian (Category 4) important airports and spaceports (A and B rating) are provided with massive security measures. The security measures are conducted by a joint military and civilian team; usually, in an ordinary major facility the chief of security is a civilian Police Senior Councillor (or equivalent rank) with a Councillor from the Ministry of the Protection of the Imperial Loyalty and a Major of the Service Security, with a liaison officer of the Imperial Security, who commands his own ImpSec detachment. If the facility is deemed strategic, the Senior Councillor is from the Ministry of the Protection of the Imperial Loyalty and the Service Security commander is a Colonel. All private ground-cars, taxis, buses and commercial trucks, as well as private and commercial air-cars, go through a preliminary security checkpoint before entering the air/spaceport compound. Armed guards spot-check the vehicles by looking into vans, exchanging a few words with the driver and passengers. Armed security personnel stationed at the terminal entrances keep a close watch on those who enter the buildings. If someone arouses their suspicion or looks nervous, they may strike up an interrogation to further assess the person's intent. Plain-clothes armed personnel patrol the area outside the building, and hidden surveillance cameras and sensors operate at all times. Inside the building, both uniformed and plain-clothes security officers are on constant patrol. Departing passengers are personally questioned by security agents before arriving at the check-in desk. This interview can last as little as a minute, or as long as an hour if a passenger is selected for additional screening. Luggage and body searches may be conducted. Checked baggage is screened following the personal interview and before passengers arrived at the check in desks. After check-in, all checked baggage is screened using sophisticated scanners and put in a pressure chamber to trigger any possible explosive devices. Following the check-in process, passengers continue to personal security and passport control. Before passing through the weapon detectors and placing carry-on baggage through the scanning machine at the security checkpoint, passports and boarding passes are re-inspected and additional questions may be asked. Before boarding the aircraft or the space shuttle, passports and boarding passes are verified once again. Security procedures for incoming flights are not also stringent, and passengers may be questioned by passport control depending on country of origin, or countries visited prior to arrival in the Empire of Barrayar. Passengers who have recently visited countries hostile to Barrayar are subject to further questioning. Related voices * Government of Barrayar Category:Barrayar